The Salvadoran government is moving forward with the evaluation of potential locations for the country’s first NPP, according to the General Directorate of Energy, Hydrocarbons & Mines (DGEHM). The initiative is part of a broader strategy to diversify the national energy mix.
Daniel Álvarez, head of DGEHM, said the programme has made substantial progress thanks to technical cooperation from the US and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “We are already identifying the sites, we already have possible locations for the construction of the plant,” he noted.
El Salvador began its nuclear development in March 2023 with a memorandum of understanding signed with the Thorium Energy Alliance (TEA), a Harvard, Illinois–based non-profit advocacy group that endorses thorium-fuelled reactors. TEA aims to restart a homogeneous fuels research reactor programme and commercialise a Molten Salt Reactor and the supply chain infrastructure behind it.
Later in 2023, the Legislative Assembly approved the law creating the official body responsible for implementing the national nuclear programme – the Agency for the Implementation of the Nuclear Energy Programme (OIPEN – Organismo para la Implementación del Programa de Energía Nuclear) with Álvarez as ad honorem director.
In May 2025, the IAEA deployed its first Site & External Events Design (SEED) Mission to El Salvador tasked with reviewing possible sites for feasibility and safety. The government initially mentioned San Vicente and Chalatenango as potential locations, but officials have not confirmed whether these areas remain under consideration.
In February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco of the Republic of El Salvador signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation (NCMOU) with the aim of advancing peaceful nuclear cooperation.
Rubio and Hill Tinoco agreed to collaborate on small modular reactors (SMRs) and regulatory training, aiming to supply 26% of El Salvador’s electricity through nuclear energy by 2050. El Salvador’s October 2024 Nuclear Energy Law prioritises reduced reliance on oil imports that once consumed 69% of its energy budget. The country plans to train 400 nuclear specialists by 2030, supported by Argentina’s atomic energy agency and IAEA safety protocols.
In June, The US, El Salvador, and Canada sponsored a regional workshop to promote global energy security through the Fundamental Infrastructure for the Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) initiative. “El Salvador has taken significant steps toward integrating nuclear energy for peaceful and responsible purposes,” Álvarez said. “We have political will, an institutional structure in consolidation, and a firm commitment to training, radiological safety, and the application of nuclear technologies in key sectors such as health, agriculture, and water management.”
